(Tackling the Water Trial this chapter, among other things! Let's get to it.
The Reviews
Megan Romero: Mantine Surfing is a much better way to farm for BP than Battle Tree. Jake is gonna get a new team member this chapter, that much I can tell you.)
As the duo was approaching Paniola Town, Aubrey would ask, "So Jake, my traveling partner...what kind of Pokemon do you want to add to your team now?" She was fishing for a lesson in team building.
"Well... I have Ghastly Ghost, Fabulous Fire, Graceful Grass, and Freeing Flying... So I probably need like, Water and Fairy and Rock and Electric!" Jake said after thinking it over carefully. "I never really use Rock and Electric so harnessing their mighty power here could be a fun change of pace. Waters are always useful and Fairy is my second favorite Pokemon type after Grass!" Jake posed.
"Yeah. Water types are usually a good idea," Aubrey mused. "I would know, Van's got her Gastrodon."
"East Sea or West Sea?" Jake inquired.
"East Sea," The ranger answered.
"That's good to know." Jake looked at the coming town, curious to see what interesting architecture, culture, and social life could be gathered just from a glance. They would see Hau at the center of town with Torracat, waving over to them.
"Aue! Jake! Aubrey!" He called.
"Hey Hau! What's this town like?" Jake asked as Forrest and Belle said hello to Torracat.
"Doesn't it look like one of those wild western towns in the movies?" Hau mused. "I'm glad I ran into you two."
"Why's that?" Aubrey wondered.
"So we can see who's strong-" Hau would be cut off by Aubrey perking up at hearing a Pokemon's voice in distress.
"Ooh, so we should mosey on down pardners and see who here is disturbing da peace!" Jake stereotypically mimicked a sheriff from said wild western towns.
"You can say that again," Aubrey said, immediately running over to see what the disturbance was. She'd see an Alolan Vulpix being accosted by two Team Skull grunts, one guy and one gal, cornering it with its back to a pond.
"Yo, yo, yo! Vulpix! Hand over that there Bottle Cap!" One of them demanded.
"Kryuuuu..." The Vulpix whined.
"Please, stop!" A kindly older lady pleaded. This was enough to light a fire under Aubrey as she marched towards the grunts, clearly grumpy.
"Oi! What are you two nimrods doing to that Pokemon?!" Jake yelled. He was just as outraged about this outright Pokemon abuse as Aubrey was.
Hau decided to hang back, slightly unnerved by Aubrey's more aggressive approach to the situation.
They turned to face Jake. "Whatchu want!? What's this little Vulpix want with a bottle cap!? I'mma put it to better use, man!"
"Does it even matter?!" Aubrey growled.
"You wanna fight, lady? Wanna piece of me?! I'll show you what you get when you mess with Team-!" He'd be cut off by Aubrey grabbing the man by the scruff of his neck and lifting him off the ground with one hand, his aggression turning to shock.
"Don't worry Hau. She's a Pokemon Ranger. They have a license to break bones if they mess with Pokemon." Jake whispered and reassured the startled Hau.
"Well, she's certainly an aggressive one, that's for sure," Hau commented, leaning against a signpost. "But if that's what rangers do, I'll take your word for it."
"W-W-woah, hey! Put me down!" The grunt tried breaking free from Aubrey's grasp.
"I will. But you're both gonna promise me that you'll leave this Vulpix alone when I do, or you're gonna be in a lot more pain if you don't," Aubrey threatened. "Got it?"
"Y-Yeah, whatever! Just lemme go!" The grunt cowed.
Aubrey would let him go. She grabbed him with her other hand and tossed him in the pond with a splash.
"This is all your fault, Vulpix! If you just handed over that cap we wouldn't be having this problem!" The female grunt scolded, clearly not in the right as she fished her friend out of the water. Though Aubrey could tell she was scared of the ranger as the two scrammed.
The Vulpix was quivering with fright from the whole ordeal. It would scurry off too, but not in the same direction as the grunts.
"A Bottle Cap... hmm?" Jake looked at where the Bottle Cap was dropped by the Vulpix and picked it up and examined it. "I mean, if Team Skull is looking for precious metals or Z-Crystals, this sure as heck ain't it chief."
The older lady frowned. "I do hope that poor dear will be alright..." She said. Aubrey took a breath, starting to cool off after what just happened.
"Hey, Aubrey...you need a moment?" Hau asked. "I don't mind battling Jake if that's okay with you."
"Yeah...that'd be appreciated." Aubrey slumped her shoulders. "I probably scared the fur off that poor thing..."
"Hey, it's better than letting it get hurt, Aubrey. I'm sure that Alolan Vulpix understands." Jake put a comforting hand on Aubrey's shoulder. "If it was a living person, I'd have probably done the same thing. No one deserves to be ganged up on by Team Grunts or bullies."
"Obviously...my body was moving before I fully realized I was letting my temper get the better of me..." Aubrey shook her head. "But now I'm gonna get over it. I'm gonna take Hau up on his offer, if you don't mind."
"Go right ahead. Pokemon Battle Venting is very healthy according to the Pokemon Fan Club!" Jake said, perking himself up.
"I was thinking more something for me to exercise...but alright!" Aubrey would head back to Route 4, Hau smiling.
"I get that she's got a temper...but her heart's in the right place, yeah?" He suggested. "She was doing what rangers do in her own way."
"Exactly, Hau!" The Hoenn trainer agreed.
Still, Jake was trying to piece together Team Skull's actions and motives. So far it really seemed very delinquent activity... strangely delinquent activity. Other Grunts were immature but often spoke with focus and clear goals and desires. What Team Skull tried to do and who they chose to target was not a sophisticated plan or goal. A Bottlecap? Extorting Pokemon? It seemed they were concerned about Pokemon and wanted to make use of them for some reason but then why go for a Bottlecap of all things? Were they poor? Or perhaps more poignantly... were they even a 'Team'?
"...Although I'm wondering if maybe I should try to help her keep her composure next time. Before she ends up doing something regrettable." He followed-up on his previous statement to Hau.
"I was thinking the same thing too," Hau agreed. "But I've only known her for a few days. Does Aubrey have anyone who would know what she's like?"
"Vanessa is her partner in the Ranger program and best friend," Jake responded.
"That's perfect!" Hau beamed. "Maybe next time you see her you could ask what she does for anger management. Just an idea."
"I don't see Vanessa, I call Vanessa if anything. Plus Aubrey has her number, not I." Jake looked a bit embarrassed. "Though if I see an opportunity to indeed talk to Vanessa about this, I will seize it."
"What's she up to now, by the way?" Hau asked, hoping to help.
"I honestly don't know. I was thinking of asking more about her life and hobbies to be honest. I assume she's probably looking at Pokemon or communing in nature though if she is a Ranger." Jake admitted sheepishly. He had confided a lot of deep information and history to Aubrey but realized that he might've not allowed Aubrey the same luxury to share more about herself to him. She was trustworthy but mysterious to say the least. He didn't like that element of mystery and knew he was in the right to ask more about her own past and what led her to this position.
The Alolan boy folded his arms behind his head. "No, I mean...where's she at? If you're contacting her by video call, she's gotta be somewhere else that's not Alola, right? Otherwise, Aubrey would be adventuring with her partner."
"Good ol' Kanto. I know because she recently was invited to an exclusive, designer celebrity event!" Jake smiled.
"Then that's...12 hours away from Alola. So maybe when you find a time this evening, you should call her up and ask about this anger management thing," Hau advised. For such a carefree, young lad, he was quite perceptive about his traveling partners. Jake also noticed that Hau, who he had assumed to be a very happy go-lucky, Phoebe type of personality, was showing much more depth than he expected. He admired that sort of consideration that Hau was showing towards them and it made him feel a lot more relaxed about the situation. Like it was an easily solvable problem rather than a serious discussion about Aubrey.
"I'm not sure I have her number but I can definitely try calling the Ranger association. I believe Aubrey gave me their business number." Jake pulled out his journal and noted the number was indeed marked down in it. "I'd rather not steal her phone or anything like that after all. I'm not a drama-stirrer."
"Sounds good to me. So! Wanna have a quick battle?" Hau requested.
"Ok then! Just warning you. I got an Evolved Pokemon and I'm not afraid to unleash him!" Jake smirked as Forrest and Belle both looked excited for the battle.
"So do I, man!" Hau laughed.
Jake and Hau soon found a decently sized alleyway in the western town that seemed big enough for the battle at hand and provided a private arena of which no incidental ice cream cones could be ruined or property damage could be sued for. Jake decided to lead off with Forrest, knowing it was a risk because of Pikachu's type advantage but he really didn't want Belle to go down again first as he felt she deserved better. Plus Forrest was much faster than Belle so he'd have the best shot of matching Pikachu's speed.
"Alright Hau. Bring out your first challenger!" Jake declared as Forrest extended a courteous arm as though to say 'right this way'.
"Righty-o! Let's go, Pikachu!" Hau called out the Electric type rodent to be first up to the plate.
"Forrest, Razor Leaf!" Forrest followed a similar tactic to what he used against Totem Gumshoos, flying upward and carrying leaves with him in a wind current before shooting them out in a barrage-style fashion at Pikachu.
"Quick Attack around it!" Hau ordered, with Pikachu zipping through the plant projectiles to attack Forrest. Jake traced the movements of Pikachu, noting how it bounced from wall to wall to get up to Forrest's level.
"Dodge and use Pluck." Forrest managed to swirl around Pikachu in a surprisingly poised fashion before slamming into Pikachu with his beak and knocking him into the other side of the wall. Pikachu was able to perk himself back up, not taking very effective damage.
"Go for the Electro Ball!" Hau cheered, Pikachu tossing up an Electro Ball and hitting it towards Forrest with his tail.
"Shadow Sneak now!" Forrest quickly shifted into the shadows but noticeably got hit by a decent amount of the impact of the quickened Electro Ball as it collided with the space in which Forrest phased into. Still, the element of surprise was now in Forrest's hands.
What happened next would come as a surprise to Jake. Not because it was brilliant or anything, but due to the unexpected nature of Hau's next move.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack to foul Forrest's aim!" He instructed, his Pikachu doing just that. Forrest managed only barely to miss Pikachu as Pikachu deftly bounced off a trash can to do a dramatic and elegant backflip. He looked hurt from the Electro Ball but unlike the last fight in which he was fussy over his feathers, he was determined not to go down without any leeway. He shot out a concentrated stream of Razor Leaf that managed to pelt Pikachu with a few of the potent projectiles when the Electric Mouse Pokemon landed. This was able to catch Pikachu cleanly, causing Pikachu to tumble backwards.
"Nice shot! Now use the environment to your advantage with Pluck!" Jake decided to take a cue from the innovation of Hau's battling style and had Forest grab a trash can lid with its talons and toss it like a projectile at the Pikachu. With the unconventional method of attack, Pikachu was only narrowly able to block that with his tail.
"Wow! You're pretty creative with battling, Jake!" Hau praised.
"You as well, Hau. I can tell your journey is making you stronger and wiser just as it was for me back in my hay day. You are a formidable foe! Shadow Sneak again Forrest!" Forrest retreated into the shadows carefully to keep up the pressure on Pikachu. While Pikachu would try to do the same thing and keep his movement predictable, he was sluggish enough for Forrest to try and secure the knockout.
"Booyah!" Jake cheered as he saw Forrest had been able to pounce on Pikachu with Shadow Sneak and take the Electric Mouse down by knocking him onto the ground from above in a dive kick. He had his talon pinned on the unconscious Pokemon and looked like a boss. Jake pouted as he could tell Forrest was showing off. "Ok Forrest, chill. This isn't a movie."
Forrest sheepishly got off of Pikachu and apologized humbly with a "Dartrix."
"So onto your next Pokemon, my friend," Jake tipped his glasses over to Hau.
After recalling Pikachu, Hau said, "Alright Torracat, your turn!"
"Forrest, Shadow Sneak again!" Forrest, clearly loving the rogue tactics, slipped into the shadow realm yet again. Jake knew that Forrest had to be careful against this Evolved starter as the Pokemon was more than capable of OHKO'ing Forrest with a strong fire move.
"Be ready with Fire Fang, Torracat!" Hau encouraged. Torracat would have its fangs start to burn as he was ready for Forrest's approach. Forrest attempted the best flanking position in this case. Right from under Torracat. It swooped up with a headbutt to Torracat's bottom.
Upon reflection, this was the only way that Forrest could've gotten the Shadow Sneak off without getting hurt, as he was successful in doing this. Forrest then flung a barrage of Razor Leaves as Torracat, determined to zone out the Pokemon now that it got some damage in. However, this wouldn't really pan out the way Jake had hoped, as Hau got in a Normal-type Z-Pose, giving Torracat power from him to go with an all out attack.
"Breakneck...Blitz!" He exclaimed.
Jake gasped as Forrest suddenly found that Torracat swung in with a fierce strike that knocked Forrest into the walls and left a surprisingly large crater in the wall. Due to the decent damage it took from Electro Ball that left it at about half health and this sudden, overwhelming blow, Forrest was knocked out and fell limply to the floor as Torracat flexed his knuckles and backed away.
"Dang...Z-Moves OP. Please nerf." Jake joked.
"Nothing personal, Jake. It was the only way I could do that safely," Hau remarked. Jake didn't take this loss too hard as he knew it was a battle between friends. It was good to know the limits of Forrest as well as the potential and capabilities of Hau and his Pokemon.
"You really are making this fun. Good job staying in it Forrest." Jake retrieved Forrest before Belle, who had floated and watched the battle excitedly, came forward. "Belle is a different type of opponent though, so best get yourself ready."
"We're ready, right Torracat?" Hau asked.
"Mrowr!" Torracat chimed.
Jake knew that Belle couldn't be hit by normal moves but the fire type discrepancy would be tough to surmount as even with Flame Burst, Belle would not deal substantial damage to him without the Will-O-Wisp. Confuse Ray was a good option here..."Confuse the Torracat, Belle!" Belle sent an eerie, bizarre ray of mystifying power at Torracat.
This would prove effective, but Hau would say, "Torracat! You know what to do, right? Try for a Lick!" So Torracat would confusedly stumble up to Belle, and instead of using it as an attack, started to try and grab Belle, thinking she was an ice cream cone.
Belle, creeped out by the gesture, rose to the sky to get out of Torracat's reach.
"Good on you knowing the safety protocol for what's appropriate and inappropriate personal interactions!" Jake gave Belle a thumbs up. "Now use a Night Shade." Belle sent a spectral mirage that blasted Torracat from above with damage equal to her level. Considering the earlier blow from Forrest and his attack, Torracat was now at a third of its health by Jake's estimate.
While this did snap Torracat out of confusion, it would do what it could to leap at Belle and lash out with Lick, this time as an attack. Belle was unfortunately licked by the Torracat and not only deeply disturbed as it swatted her like a fly, but took decent damage as a result.
"Fire Spin Belle, don't let up! You have to avenge Forrest!" Jake encouraged Belle.
Belle realized this time the Pokemon she thought was stronger than her couldn't be someone she could fall back on to finish the job. It was her time to shine. Belle, empowered by this, sent a fiery spiral and sent Torracat crashing into the trash can of which the lid had been removed from earlier. The flames swirled around Torracat from within the can, burning him more intensely even if it wasn't doing a lot of damage. Unfortunately for Belle, the Fire Spin was not very effective, but combined with the burning trash and metal can, Torracat was...in quite a lot of pain. Just in time for someone to hear what was going on.
"Why does it sound like there's a Pokemon burning inside a trash can?" It was Aubrey!
"Night Shade!" Jake, smirking at the distraction, had Belle finished Torracat with a Nightshade that basically sent the Trash Can flying into the air and sent Torracat flopping into Hau's open arms when Hau caught his Pokemon. Torracat was knocked out and extra singed from the collective onslaught from Belle. "Aubrey! Me and Hau were just wrapping up our battle in which...Belle SLAYED!" Jake gave his best victory pose and beamed.
"Litwick!" Belle looked and felt very proud of herself, glad to finish a battle without being knocked out this time. The trash can almost hit Aubrey, but she kicked it out of the way with expert reflexes. Burnt and singed trash lay about on the ground around her.
"Yeah, and without that context, I probably would've assumed you were abusing Pokemon behind my back," Aubrey responded.
"Ok admittedly it might've gotten a bit extra..." Jake looked back anxiously with the crater on the wall behind him from the Normalium-Z attack. Belle winced from Aubrey's sharp words and Aubrey suddenly felt bad for making Jake's Pokemon feel uncertain about the situation...for about two seconds.
"Aww, it's alright, Jake!" Hau smiled. "You were doing great!"
"Try to keep collateral at a minimum next time, guys." From her voice Aubrey wasn't upset with them, far from it.
"Come to think of it I didn't get to use Flame Burst this time...ah well. At least I played to my strengths." Jake patted his Litwick gently where the flame wasn't burning and made Belle feel better. "And of course Aubrey!" To Hau, he added, "But yeah you were fantastic as well Hau. You've raised both your Pokemon quite well."
"Thanks, man. I'll be more careful next time, Aubrey!" Hau promised.
"Good boys," Aubrey found Hau's optimism to be infectious. "Took some time to cool off, it really helped."
"I'm relieved to hear that Aubrey. So where to now?" Jake asked, looking eager to continue the journey.
"We are gonna be continuing on to Brooklet Hill. We're gonna pass through this ranch here to get there via Route 5," Aubrey informed. "See ya later, Hau!"
"Alright! I'll catch you guys later!" Hau waved them off.
"Ciao Hau!" After Hau left, it was back down to being the ranger and the Hoenn traveler. The two of them looked at one another and nodded confidently before they began making strides to the hill in question.
As the duo went on ahead, they'd see a rancher wave to them. "Hey! You're trial-goers, right? You've got good timing."
"What's going on, sir?" Aubrey would ask.
"Captain Mallow is here right now, so come on!" The rancher motioned for them to follow.
"Hmm. Let's go see what she wants then," Jake shrugged. Belle looked interested as well.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious," Aubrey confided, following after the rancher.
Mallow would be found interacting with a pair of Miltank when she turned in Aubrey and Jake's direction. "Hey!" She called. "Thanks for stopping by!"
"Making some milk there Mallow?" Jake asked innocently enough.
"Yup! Getting some fresh Moomoo Milk for some cooking," Mallow answered. "I've got something that'll help you out. You know what an Itemfinder is, right?"
"Ok it's like the treasure-seeking items a lot of regions have. Also great for coastal clean-ups!" Jake's eyes brightened. He remembered finding all sorts of goodies and hidden treasures during his last Pokemon journey. "You know, there had been a heated rumor in the Pokemon Fan Club that the Pokemon League secretly had workers distribute hidden items all over the region so that trainers could always find them as a test of their perception. I don't believe those rumors though. Things are dropped and end up in random places all the time."
"Sounds like a funny theory, but that'd be hysterical if it were true," Aubrey snickered.
"Well, here in Alola, we use the Pokemon Stoutland to help sniff out items hidden around," Mallow explained. "Lemme register it to your Pagers."
"Awesome! Thanks Mallow. Do you use them to find hidden ingredients?" Jake asked as the trial captain updated the pager.
"You bet I do!" Mallow answered positively. "It'll be a big help during my trial when you get to it. But first, Lana and Kiawe are gonna stand in your way." She'd get the two hooked up with Stoutland being added to their Ride Pagers.
"So Lana and Kiawe...what are they like?" Jake asked.
"Lana is a pretty calm gal, but she tells tall tales...sometimes. Hard to know when she's being serious or when she's being a jokester," Mallow explained. "And Kiawe likes to study the dance of the Alola region with his Marowak."
"So a smoking hot stud that would've been my type in my younger years and a sweet aquatic actress. Gotcha," Jake beamed. "Anyone who knows how to dance gets two thumbs up from me."
"Then I think you two will be great friends," Mallow smiled. "Alright, I'll be off. Say Alola to Lana for me!"
"Definitely! Thanks Mallow. See you sooner rather than later, though. We take the Island Challenge very seriously." Jake emphasized with bravado in his tone and a haughty pose.
Mallow would take off, when something would get Aubrey's attention - the rancher was dealing with an aggressive Tauros.
"Rrrrrh! Bwof!" The Tauros stamped its hooves.
"Hmm...I do want to use this Tauros to be a Ride Pokemon..." He mentioned to himself.
"Aubrey, you might need to step in then. This looks like a call for Superranger." Jake said teasingly though he did pat Aubrey's back to show his support in her.
"Yeah, I was about to say. Give you a taste of what I'm made of." Aubrey would grab her Styler. "Sir, if you want me to help with your Tauros..."
"You'd like to?" After being caught up to speed on what Aubrey's Styler could do, he nodded. "Alright! If you want to try and calm this ornery one down, be my guest, miss."
"Got it." Aubrey stood down the Tauros, whose irritability was soon focused on the ranger. "Capture...on!"
With a flick of her wrist, Aubrey sent the Capture Disc out at the Tauros to start circling the ornery bull. It charged at Aubrey during the process, only for her to do a roll out of the way to avoid the attack, spinning the disc back at the Tauros to keep up the pressure. She had a smile on her face as she did this - while having a Partner Pokemon to keep the heat off her was nice, moving to evade the Pokemon themselves possessed a sort of thrill unique to Aubrey. Plus it was preferable to the disc taking damage, but she figured Nom could help recharge it if needed.
No matter how much the Tauros charged Aubrey, she was able to sidestep and juke the Normal type beast and soon had it tamed. The whole process took about a few minutes for the ranger.
"Whew!" Aubrey chuckled. "Big guy here just had a lot of energy to burn off."
"Such elegant moves! It truly is like a dance the way you neuter and settle down the Pokemon." Jake gushed.
"Normally, Skarmory is taking the aggression from the Pokemon while I make the capture," Aubrey explained. "But hey, it's nice to see I haven't lost my edge."
"Thank you, Miss Ranger," The rancher thanked. "I don't know how I could repay you...other than show you our nursery here."
"Oh yeah, Pokemon Breeders are a big business I hear," Aubrey mentioned. "I'd love to see it myself. Never been to one before."
Jake gulped. He didn't really buy or have a good impression of the Pokemon Breeding trend. Namely due to how intense trainers took it... and the fact Dittos were rampant at most Breeding nurseries. "I'm sure you'll find it... interesting." Jake optimistically offered an opinion to Aubrey.
"Why? Is something the matter about it?" Aubrey raised an eyebrow, having noticed his moment of hesitation.
"Depends on what is there and who is there at the time really." Jake frowned. In his mind, he was hoping there wouldn't be any crazy breeding antics going on at this one.
"Oh...I see where this is going." Aubrey rolled her shoulders. "Come to think of it, Van has seen nurseries take in Pokemon that were rejected by trainers for 'not having the right stats' or whatever stupid reason."
"Yeah, we talked about that before," Jake said. "This is typically where it happens sometimes. I'm surprised there's never been like a serious Pokemon disease from how some trainers constantly make countless eggs with Dittos or whatever."
Aubrey shook her head. "I'm honestly surprised we haven't had a case of Dittos rebelling against their purpose for some of these crazies."
Jake laughed at Aubrey's surprisingly dark sense of humor. "Good one! I never thought of that one before. Well let's go see the nursery at least since I do feel this one is a wholesome one."
"Oh yeah, it's definitely got the feel of one!" Aubrey had a smile as she went on inside. Jake entered after Aubrey.
The nursery was a quaint little place, two young ladies and a trainer with two Alolan Grimers were inside, and a PC was at the desk for trainer use. There was a bulletin board on the right side of the desk and a wall mounted coat rack on the left.
"Ooooooooh very cozy," Jake complimented.
"It sure is," The young lady behind the desk responded with a warm smile. "Welcome! Heard all about your act of helping tame that wild Tauros, miss."
"Eh, nothing to it," Aubrey humbly commented.
"Familiar with how these centers work? Well, normally at daycares Pokemon get stronger, then you have to pay to get 'em back...we don't really do that around here," The desk lady explained. "So we just focus on being a nursery."
"That's perfectly lovely! So what kind of services do you offer to the Pokemon in the nursery? Free food? Lodging? Recreational activities?" Jake inquired excitedly. Aubrey could tell that Jake also loved Pokemon deeply in his own way and wanted to see the latest and greatest in what was being offered to them.
"All of the above! Plenty of room to run around, warm beds, and good eats," The desk lady answered cheerfully. "We take pride in the level of care we give the Pokemon here." Belle looked very happy to hear this, dancing about.
"Oh do you also heal Pokemon? My Forrest got knocked out in a recent explosive Pokemon battle and I'm not sure where the Pokemon Center is yet so if you could take care of him that'd be fantastic!" Jake pulled out his Poke Ball.
"Oh sure, I can take care of that for ya," The desk lady answered. "Just lemme have his ball and I'll take care of him for ya." Jake handed Forrest's ball to the lady and looked happy about this. She would go off to care for Forrest while Aubrey leaned against the desk.
"Alright..." The ranger closed her eyes in thought. "I'm still trying to make a profile on the Mega Evolution naysayer, or better yet get a lead on what they're like..."
"Hmm? You are?" Jake seemed surprised. "Well I'm not sure this kind of place will give us clues or answers Aubrey. Though it's nice of you to still be thinking of that for me."
"All I have is my silly theory on that person's motive, being butthurt over losing to Mega Evolution...but I don't think someone would be so salty they make some allegedly academic sourced journal on why it's bad," Aubrey mentioned. "And we do have an alias...but other than that, we don't really have any clues."
"Hmm. Well the best way to make or find clues is look and ask questions about the topic at hand in areas related to that topic," Jake advised.
"Okay..." Aubrey had an idea. "So here's a question - based on what we know of that journal, what can we infer about this person? Aside from having a hatred against Mega Evolution."
"They are some sort of Pokemon Researcher or specialize in a field of study relating to Pokemon Battle, History, and Traditions," Jake responded.
"If that's the case...odds are we're dealing with someone from a position of authority," Aubrey thought. "There's no way some random weirdo off the street would be able to make a journal like that..." Pausing, she got an idea. "...Oh my Arceus, I'm an idiot for not thinking of this sooner." The ranger rubbed her temples before continuing. "Alright, so hear me out on this one, okay Jake? So let's assume we are dealing with someone from a position of authority. You mentioned that you left a negative review of that journal, right? Were there any other reviews online about it? I know it's a long shot, but...logically, if someone from a position of authority made this, wouldn't it catch the attention of similar figures of authority?"
"There probably exist other online reviews about it. Certainly, official literary groups and organizations would also have rated the journal themselves too. So yeah, you are certainly right there," Jake explained.
"While we wait on Forrest, do you mind if we take a quick look to see what others are saying about it?" Aubrey requested. "If there's any big names, like professors from other regions, I don't doubt they would've fact checked the journal if it's in their neck of the woods."
"Sure!" Jake smiled.
"Rotom! Some assistance, please!" Aubrey called, prompting Rotom to pop out from her bag.
"Yezzz?" He asked.
"I need you to search for reviews on that journal we were looking to get," The ranger requested. "Official sites, big names, anything sticks out to you, I want to know about it."
"Alright, zzt! Searching now!" Rotom would get to work searching for anything noteworthy to show the two. Eventually he found a review from one the most noted literary writers in all the Pokemon World. Unova's Elite Four Member Shauntal. "Got a hit for ya, zzt zzt!" Rotom informed, pulling up the review for them to read.
Book Name: Choose you and Chosen: The Long and Highly Documented Record of Pokemon Battling.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Jirachis. Two Claws up.
Overall Notes: A great collaborative record with detailed, highly researched, visual examples, and refreshing perspectives. However, I can't ignore some biases that seep into the language by one of the writers and this book notably does cover a wide variety of regions and styles but seems discriminatory to a few of them despite them seeing popular modern relevance and are still practiced today. I feel this journal could've used a bit more editing, in particular the Mega Evolution section which I found a bit flawed in how it presented its point of view and record of it, and shared with readers the impact of different forms of Pokemon Battling today on trainers.
"One of the writers...?" Aubrey seemed confused. "But...I thought this was written by one person." It then hit Aubrey. "Oh! She must be referring to Gilda!"
"Yeah. There were several writers working on this journal and Gilda Lockon was one of them," Jake clarified. "Each writer had several sections in the book that they wrote about. And as we know, she was behind the Mega Evolution section."
"Right." Aubrey nodded. "Guess we know what section to focus on, then." The desk lady came back with Forrest's ball, and an egg in an incubator.
"Hmm...now that I think about it. If we can figure out one of the other writers who was involved with this project, we'd be able to get right to the heart of the matter." Jake said to Aubrey before the desk lady showed up.
"Here you are, sir. Miss Ranger, the rancher here would like you to have this egg here for helping us out with our Tauros," The desk lady spoke.
"And thank youuuuuuuuu! That's wonderful! That Egg's got the best mama ever!" Jake said cheerfully.
"Oh cool! Where'd you find it?" Aubrey asked.
"Well, we had a trainer say he didn't want it, since he already had the 'perfect Pokemon'. We'd be happy if you could take care of it," The desk lady explained.
"Hmm...now that I think about it. If we can figure out one of the other writers who was involved with this project, we'd be able to get right to the heart of the matter." Jake said to Aubrey before the desk lady showed up.
"Sucks that this guy would just leave his Pokemon here...but I'll take it." Aubrey took the egg incubator happily. "We'll be off!"
"You have a nice day now!" She waved the two off as they left to head up to Route 5. Jake summoned Forrest who looked positively glowing. He had been washed up, taken good care of, treated with a nice woven headscarf as an accessory, and was all healed up.
"You definitely have never looked more sophisticated, Forrest," Jake grinned. Then he turned to Aubrey. "So Route 5, eh? Maybe my third Pokemon will be ready and accounted for!"
As they were going through the route, they did spot some Team Skull grunts ahead, squatting down for some reason.
"What are they up to?" Aubrey whispered. "Nothing good..."
"Hey." A boy's voice called out to them. They'd see a blonde haired boy with the bangs covering one of his eyes, dressed in black clothes with red underneath, his pants and top having gashes in them.
"Hello there young man. What's up?" Jake asked casually. Inwardly he could tell this boy was probably an edgelord but he decided there was probably a reason that he was addressing them while Team Skull loomed ominously in the horizon.
His attention would go to Aubrey. "You're Aubrey?"
"Yeah, that's me. What of it?" Aubrey responded.
"Hmph. Not very cautious. Then again, I doubt rangers are as careless as you," The boy said. "I'm Gladion. I battle to make my partner Null stronger. Though most of the time...we take on jobs from Team Skull." He put his hands on his hips. "Battle me, ranger. I won't take no for an answer."
Jake was immediately triggered. "Uh, heck no. You don't just insult someone who is as experienced in their field as Aubrey is when you clearly look like you couldn't Ranger to save your life and ask them for a battle. That's improper social skills and poor trainer etiquette." He pointed his finger at Gladion as he lectured him.
Gladion folded his arms. "And who are you to be bossing me around?"
"Her traveling companion young man. I'm Jake Hagguire. I bet Team Skull has told you about how we owned their butts after they tried to smuggle Pokemon and steal bottle caps?" Forrest also gave a distrusting glare at Gladion. He didn't think if they were willing to work for a shady team, even if their plot wasn't region-threatening yet far as they knew, that they were trustworthy.
"Yeah, and how you let your friend here do all the 'talking' as well," Gladion dryly responded.
"Simmer down, man. It's clear he wants a piece of me," Aubrey on the other hand sounded enthusiastic.
"I don't normally support abuse but I think he wouldn't mind learning how cautious you truly are." Jake smirked, liking Aubrey's language.
"I'm asking for a battle. Not a fight," Gladion sneered.
"Already heard you loud and clear. Bring it on." Aubrey grabbed Don's Poke Ball and was ready for action.
"Very well. Null!" Gladion would call out his partner, and what they saw certainly took them by surprise.
Null was a chimeric Pokemon with traits from a variety of creatures. Its head is enclosed in a brown helmet with green markings, having a large jaw piece that wraps around the front with rounded hinges on the side. Small gray eyes could be seen from the rectangular black holes on the front. Around the base collar were four protruding vanes each with a three-way spiked tip, and an axe-like blade was on the top of its head. Most of its torso was covered in black fur, but it definitely looked very unlike anything they've ever seen before.
Jake looked a bit startled and freaked out by the appearance. It reminded him vaguely of some kind of mythical monster or scientifically experimented on creation like Mewtwo. Belle perked up though, finding it super cool.
"Rotom, do you have any deets on it?" Jake used Rotomdex for a change out of pure curiosity.
"U-Um...I've never seen anything like this before, zzt!" Rotom sounded quite unnerved by this creature's appearance. "I'm afraid I don't have anything."
"What in the world..." Aubrey breathed, calling out Don to do battle.
"Is it a Legendary...? Be careful Aubrey. Maybe he's some sort of renegade Gym Leader or something." Jake murmured nervously.
"Maybe...be careful, Don!" Aubrey called out.
Don would find that Null was quite the beefy Pokemon, using Bulldoze to start things off, but it didn't do too much in the way of damage. Gladion ordered a Tackle, pushing Don back, but he stood strong after it hit. He'd go for a Double Kick, which looked to do some decent damage.
"It's weak to Fighting...keep that up, Don!" Aubrey ordered.
"Brayyyy!" The Mudbray responded.
"Don't think it'll be that easy, ranger," Gladion sneered. "Don't let up, Null!"
Null let out a roar and kept up its attack, giving Don some definite trouble, but after a few attacks landed...suddenly, Null wasn't doing much damage to Don afterwards.
"Maybe it is that easy after all." Jake chuckled shadily at Gladion.
"That's Mudbray'zzz ability, Stamina!" Rotom cheerily mentioned as Gladion grit his teeth. "It gets easier to take physical hits whenever it gets hit!"
"Well then, wrap it up Aubrey!" Jake cheered her on as Belle actually looked a bit sad for Null.
"What he said, Don!" Aubrey exclaimed, the Mudbray working towards wrapping up the fight handily.
"Hmph! How annoying..." Gladion scowled, recalling Null after it was defeated.
"Humble pie is delicious, so I hope you got your fill," Jake said to Gladion.
"It's not like me to slip up like that..." Gladion remarked.
"Would've been an even bigger slip-up if you wanted a 'fight' fight, and not a Pokemon battle," Aubrey mentioned.
"Looks like I'm still not ready..." Gladion shook his head, muttering to himself.
"Awww, look at you, little Gladion! Such a cool guy, heh." It was then the Team Skull grunts strolled on up to the scene, and lo and behold, it was the same grunts they saw earlier on the route.
"No surprise a homeless kid like you would turn out to be a pushover," The other grunt dissed Gladion. "No worries! We got enough backbone to cover for you now!"
"No you don't," Gladion harshly responded. "Who knows, in a regular fight this guy here...Jake, you might take him. But fighting this ranger here is just asking for trouble."
"Oh, so you do know of what happened earlier, huh?" Aubrey asked.
"Yes, I'm familiar with how you tossed one of Team Skull's grunts into the Paniola Town pond," Gladion replied. "So, you two. Are you sure you want to pick a fight with her now?" The grunts were suddenly unnerved by seeing a grin come to the ranger's face, and getting in a fighting stance.
Jake's expression softened towards Gladion slightly as he realized that they were telling the truth and that Gladion was homeless. Then it turned into tranquil fury towards these Team Skull grunts for using that as an excuse to call him weak and powerless. He knew what homeless life was like from stories and seeing many a person struggling at times in Hoenn trying to make some spare change to get by in the day.
To Aubrey and Gladion's surprise, Jake stepped forward, cracking his knuckles while Forrest flew up and looked ready to swoop down and Belle's flame glowed brightly.
"Or pick a fight with someone who'd give you more trouble than you would know what to do with your medical bills?" Jake growled as he assumed a combat stance of his own. He'd take on these Team Skull grunts if it meant knocking some sense into them and defending Gladion's pride.
Before any brawl could break out, Gladion spoke up. "Cut it out, both of you. You know you can't beat me. You'll just get your Pokemon and yourselves hurt," He said.
After the initial shock from seeing Aubrey and Jake's willingness to throw down, the lady grunt shrugged. "We came all this way out here for what? A big waste of time, that's what." To the traveling duo, she said, "Don't think our big sis will take this lying down."
"Yeah, she'll mess you up good, yo! Better get that into your skull, homie! Don't forget it!" The two grunts took off, Gladion shaking his head.
"Big sis should get a life and a good head on her shoulders before trying any more of this tomfoolery with us!" Jake called out to them with raised fists. After huffing in exasperation, he turned to Gladion with a sympathetic expression. "You ok?"
"No matter what they say, that I'll never be a part of Team Skull...the boss at least takes a shine to me," Gladion responded. "Why the change of heart all the sudden? You were smugly telling me to enjoy humble pie, and now you're acting sympathetic towards me."
"Dude, do you think I'm so naive that I can't tell what might be a reason why you are acting the way that you are? Besides, if we were in Hoenn I'd be happy to try to direct someone with as much swagger and potential in Pokemon Battling as you to someplace you could get help, resources, and support." Jake said kindly as both Forrest and Belle nodded in agreement.
Gladion folded his arms. "You only softened up when those two mentioned my living situation," He responded. "If I wasn't homeless, you'd still be acting the same way, wouldn't you?"
"Would you want me to be acting the same way towards you?" Jake asked honestly. "I can't imagine with goons like those around you might've felt compelled to ask for help before. So I wouldn't blame you if you feel hostile that way all the time."
Gladion was quiet for a moment, before giving an answer. "They do bad things, yes...but ask yourself: What would you do if you were at your lowest point in living?" He wouldn't stick around to hear Jake's response before heading off.
Jake nodded to himself. "I have to admit, he's pretty sharp for his age. That question is hard for most people to answer in this day and age."
"Yeah..." Aubrey frowned. "I think the only way I could ever answer those kinds of questions is when I'm physically in those situations." She saw a Pokemon Center up ahead. "We can talk about this later. I think Brooklet Hill is just ahead. Let's get ready for the trial."
"Yeah I agree. He's given me a lot to think about...but screw Team Skull. They don't really care do they?!" Jake sounded upset about the fact they had not even tried to back up Gladion and instead mocked him. It was a very toxic persona for any group of individuals to take and without any more information on their ultimate end goal and Jake could only assume the worst. "...The better we curbstomp their organization like Team Aqua the better." Jake said to himself after taking a few calming breaths.
"...I'm not apologizing for how I behaved back in Paniola," Aubrey responded as they approached the Pokemon Center.
For a moment, Jake thought back to how scared Hau was. While Hau did have a point, and Jake should probably talk to Vanessa still about Aubrey's overall patience, he also realized that Team Skull righteously deserved that level of punishment.
"I wouldn't apologize for what I would've done if they didn't scamper off either." Jake nodded.
Once they entered the Pokemon Center, Aubrey would take a breath, her optimistic demeanor returning. "Alright! So from what I hear, the Brooklet Hill trial is a Water-type trial," She said. "So we ought to dress and prepare accordingly."
"Raincoats, swampers, and a dowsing rod?" Jake joked, feeling in brighter spirits after sipping a Soda Pop and eating a light meal.
"I'm gonna get changed in my wetsuit if that answers your question, but yes!" Aubrey answered, heading off to change.
Jake, who was still wearing his swimwear since the morning, didn't need to change and so he waited patiently for her outside while he fed Forrest and Belle some berries. Belle still seemed a bit worried about Null and hoped Gladion would be ok. Forrest reassured her by saying they were clearly tough enough to endure most threats on their own.
Eventually Aubrey returned in a timely fashion and Jake looked happy for them to keep going. "Ready to sing and dance in the rain?"
"Not the best at dancing, but I'm ready to go for sure," Aubrey responded. The two Trainers left the Pokemon Center and made their way for the long-awaited Brooklet Hill.
"I'm realizing that Brooklet Hill is referring to a brook as in a sort of river. So that's pretty clever then," Jake chuckled to himself.
"You could say that again," The ranger mused.
When they entered Brooklet Hill, they'd meet a blue haired young lady with matching eyes waiting for them there.
"Hello. I'm Lana," She greeted. "I'm the captain here."
"Mallow told us to say hi. You two friends?" Aubrey asked.
Lana nodded. "Why yes, we're pretty close. I presume the two of you are here to take on my trial, right?"
"Yeah and also get cooled off!" Jake's fist was clenched in excitement.
"Very well. I'll be waiting for you two deeper inside." Lana would walk off towards her trial site, leaving the two to poke around the entrance to Brooklet Hill.
Jake looked around carefully, noticing the wild Pokemon looked very chipper and active. There was in particular a rather fierce-looking Pokemon crawling around and looking at the traveling Trainers with judging eyes. The spider-looking critter got Forrest's attention and Forrest noted they seemed to have a lot of potential for battle in their expression. Forrest alerted his trainer to the presence of that Pokemon.
"Oh it's an itsy bitsy spider!" He exclaimed.
"What's that Pokemon?" Aubrey wondered. Rotom would pop out to give them the details.
"Dewpider, the Water Bubble Pokemon. It crawls onto the land in search of food. Its water bubble allows it to breathe and protects its soft head," Rotom read.
"That Pokemon seems to have gotten Forrest's respect so... let's bring in a third teammate shall we?" Jake got a Net Ball out and looked ready to capture the Dewpider. The Dewpider seemed to be amused by the challenge and shot out a Bubble Beam at Forrest. Forrest flew through the Bubble Beam, not all deterred by the not very effective swarm of projectiles and used a quick Pluck to pick up Dewpider with his beak, leaving the Water Bubble Pokemon helpless in the air. Then he threw the Dewpider down towards the ground where Jake tossed a Net Ball with great accuracy to make contact with them. The Dewpider entered the Net Ball and the Net Ball landed and started to twitch.
1...2...3…
Click!
"Booyah! I caught myself a Dewpider!" Jake jumped up in joy and then gave his best victory pose in unison with Forrest.
"Heck yeah, man!" Aubrey ruffled Jake's hair to congratulate him.
"Thanks Aubrey! Now let's look at these stats…" Jake would look at his own Rotom Dex to see the details. "It says it's a he. They are sassy and thoroughly cunning."
"Oh, I'm sure he won't get into squabbles with Nom at all," Aubrey snickered.
"Probably not at all Aubrey," Jake laughed.
"Well the trial grounds are just ahead...wanna name this little guy before we move in?" The ranger suggested.
"How about...Splash? Something a bit more dynamic to match a dynamic personality and bravery," Jake said.
"Mmm...I feel like you could do better," Aubrey responded. "Um, lemme think here..."
"Hydra? Evaporate? Shigure? Sudz?" Jake threw out names.
"Well I was gonna say Dew, but if you wanna add one more letter and give a proper boy's name...how about Drew?" Aubrey commented.
"Dew is perfect actually!" Jake responded. "I don't want to be the same ol, same ol when it comes to making names that'd be human names. It has to be authentic and distinct and Dew fits that perfectly!"
"Well alright then! I just took out the -pider in the Pokemon's name to be honest," Aubrey sheepishly confided. "But yeah, Dew it is!"
"Dew, Belle, and Forrest are ready to keep competing!" Jake smiled. The two moved past the trial markers to meet Lana, who was standing in front of a small lake with a waterfall leading down.
"Ah, there you two are. I know you're here for the trial, but could I ask you two something really quick?" Lana requested.
"Sure thing, Lana. Is something troubling you?" Aubrey asked.
"Look out there." She would point to a bunch of splashing out in the lake. "See that vigorous splashing? I wouldn't be surprised if that splashing was caused by a fearsome Pokemon. Or perhaps a strapping young swimmer in need of rescue!"
Aubrey looked out at the splashing, shaking her head. "I don't think that splashing is big enough for a human to be causing it," She informed.
"I see. Either way, brave trial-goers, my mission for you is to investigate the splashing and find out what's causing it. Do you accept?" Lana waited for their response.
"Yes, we do accept, though why are you making yourself sound like some sort of lifeguard?" Jake asked, confused as to what Lana was trying to make them feel.
"Maybe she's trying to catch herself a boyfriend," Aubrey snarked. Lana was quiet at first, closing her eyes for a moment at Aubrey's verbal jab before changing the subject.
"Of course, I won't ask you to swim out there. Although one of you is certainly equipped for the task," She said. "How familiar are you two with the Pokemon Lapras?"
"Oh heck yeah!" Aubrey had a big grin on her face. "We did the Marine Capture Challenge on the back of one!"
"Then you won't have any problems using one with your Ride Pager," Lana smiled.
"Yeah, a Lapras ride is a very scenic and peaceful activity that can be done easily for leisure or for an objective," Jake added.
Lana would get Lapras registered to their Ride Pagers. "Now if you'd like, you could use Lapras to investigate the splashing...or, she can swim if she wants to."
Aubrey would already get a pair of swimming goggles out of her bag. "Hey, hold my bag for me." She would give Jake her duffel bag as she got the goggles on.
"Ok then, Aubrey." Jake took the bag from her and looked carefully as to what Aubrey was about to be doing. Jake decided to let Aubrey handle this part since she seemed to have the right idea in mind. When Aubrey got close to the splashing, she'd dive under the water to see what was going on. A group of fish swam off down the waterfall and deeper into the trial site, leaving a lone fish behind. It was a white, wimpy looking fish that was quite unnerved by Aubrey's presence.
'It's okay little guy...no need to be scared of me.' She would flick out her Capture Disc, befriending the Pokemon quite easily.
She would surface with the little fish swimming around her.
"Oh, so that splashing was caused by a lone Wishiwashi? Fascinating..." Lana mused.
"Wishiwashi? I've heard of that Pokemon...they are like an army in one," Jake said.
"Oh, so you're familiar with Wishiwashi's abilities?" Lana asked, surprised.
"An army of one? What do you mean by that?" Aubrey raised an eyebrow as the Wishiwashi swam off.
"I think they have the ability to switch between two forms. One is like a School form which is a multitude of them and the other is a Combined form which is one singular powerful Pokemon. I've only read about it online so not sure how it works in person," Jake explained.
"You're mostly correct," Lana clarified. "The Wishiwashi you saw with Aubrey just now was its Solo Form. It is quite weak on its own. But with its Schooling ability, it forms into a singular, powerful Pokemon in its School Form."
"That sounds...oddly useful," Aubrey mentioned, getting out of the water on the other side, hearing louder splashing coming from another lake down the path. "Come along, man!" As they headed down the path with Lana, they'd notice the sun was getting blocked out by some cloud cover.
"Hmm, curious. Almost reminds me of the time I caught the legend of the sea itself, Kyogre..." Lana mentioned.
"Or someone with the automatic Rain Dance ability Drizzle," Jake said.
"Just like Kyogre," Lana mused. The next lake had two bouts of splashing happening. "Maybe it's more Wishiwashi...or maybe there is someone in need of saving."
"We get it, you want to rescue a guy so he'll fall in love with you...or was it the other way around?" Aubrey teased.
"I'll have you know that I'm in no rush to get a boyfriend," Lana defended, a bit embarrassed by Aubrey's commentary.
"Let's split up, Jake. I'll take one splashing spot, you take the other," Aubrey instructed, diving in the lake and swimming out.
"Alright Ariel. Be sure to ask him to kiss the girl." Jake teased as he also took a cannonball into the lake and swam for one of the splashing spots. Forrest simply took the gentle owl's approach and flew over the surface of the lake. Sure enough, the two of them would watch a group of fish swim off towards the waterfall into an even larger lake, leaving behind two Wishiwashi for them to deal with.
Just like last time, Aubrey would use her Capture Styler to handle the Wishiwashi she encountered.
"Razor Leaf!" Forrest's Razor Leaf was all that it took to also corral the Wishiwashi into where they needed to be. Once they had dealt with the Wishiwashi, a light rain would start to fall.
"I get the feeling we're gonna have a battle in the rain..." Aubrey mentioned.
"Fitting. Should we turn this into a musical number or a high stakes showdown?" Jake teased.
"The second thing, clearly!" Aubrey exclaimed.
"Well we are drawing close to the Totem's Den," Lana smiled. "I think you'll find it's quite tough in comparison to the battle you had on Melemele. If you're ready to face it, follow me."
"Bring it on Lana!" Jake said, pumped. He was hoping to show how much he had grown from the past endeavors in the trials so far.
Once the two reached the end of the path, they'd find themselves at a large lake that had a rocky bowl separating it from the ocean.
"Here we are..." Lana said. "See that splashing out there? That's the Totem Pokemon! Defeat whatever's there to prove your strength to me!"
"Alright then! Hey Jake, spot me on Lapras, okay?" Aubrey requested.
"For sure!" With Jake calling out Lapras and getting on its back on the seat like saddle, Aubrey would call out Tenor to swim with her, going out towards the source of the splashing. The rain suddenly picked up, thunder crashing over the open seas. Lapras trembled as shadows of little fish forming up into one giant fish, forming up right in front of Aubrey.
"Get ready, Tenor!" Aubrey exclaimed over the rainfall.
"Briii!" The Brionne was ready for action, as a School Form Wishiwashi breached the surface. But they weren't prepared for what came next, as a pair of light blue eyes were seen under the water's surface, this time behind Aubrey.
"Aubrey, behind you! Careful!" Jake pointed towards the sight.
"What the-!?" Aubrey turned around to see another large creature breaching the water's surface. It was an arachnid Pokemon with a large water bubble around its head, with the majority of its body being dark grey with accents of yellow-green and light brown.
"Watahhhhhhhhhh!" The spider Pokemon cried.
"Gwooooooh!" The Wishiwashi cried.
"Oh dang. I think that's Dew's parent!" Jake's eyes widened and Forrest looked ready to enter the fray to defend Aubrey.
"Are they both Totem Pokemon?" Aubrey looked surprised and swam out of the way of a Water Gun attack with Tenor. Both the evolved form of Dew and Wishiwashi had auras flare up, confirming what Aubrey just said. "You have GOT to be kidding me!"
"I wish I were, you two!" Lana called.
"Two times the trouble, twice the reward! Forrest, Razor Leaf!" Forrest flew up and sent a furious wave of razor sharp leaves at the Totem spider.
The Totem spider would fire back with an Aurora Beam.
"You take the giant bug, I'll take Big Fish in Little Pond!" Aubrey called, already having an idea. "Tenor, use Echoed Voice and try to break up the school! Erwing, help Jake!" She would call out her Zubat to action.
Jake contemplated summoning another ally but figured that Belle's type disadvantage and Dew being a weaker version of this Totem Pokemon wouldn't help matters significantly enough. Forrest sensed this too and with agile focus, dodged the beautiful but deadly beam before swooping in for a fearsome Pluck attack. Forrest would nab a Wacan Berry in his beak, as Erwing went for a Confuse Ray on the giant spider.
Aubrey in the meantime would be working with Tenor to break down the Totem Wishiwashi, the Brionne keeping the Totem's attention as Aubrey would use her Capture Styler to corral its ally Pokemon, another Wishiwashi in its Solo Form. Sensing the giant spider was indeed unsteady and confused, Forrest took to the sky again and faded into the shadows.
"That's right...get ready for a Shadow Sneak ambush." Jake stood on the Lapras, prepared and ready and not hampered by the rampant waters as the battle unfolded. A Dewpider would be called in, prompting Erwing to cry out and change targets, swooping in to smack the Dewpider with Wing Attack.
Meanwhile, the big spider got wholloped from behind when Forrest did a double kick strike to it, straining the spider's back before it followed up with a point black Pluck swipe that knocked the spider into the water, wounded significantly. Jake smiled. His Pokemon knew how to fight on their own without even needing as many direct commands from him. It was the testament to true unity between trainers and their Pokemon.
As the spider retreated into the water, Aubrey would be dealing with the next help Totem Wishiwashi called in, an Alomomola, who dove in the water after the spider.
"Shoot...Jake, I gotta go after that thing. Keep an eye on the situation for me till I get back!" Aubrey ordered, taking a breath and diving down after the pink fish. Though a Masquerain would be the next thing for the two to deal with, unnerving Forrest and Erwing with Intimidate.
"Right Aubrey! Ok listen here moth, I don't have time for your bottom tier butt! Belle, come on out and use your Flame Burst!" Jake declared as he tossed out his Dusk Ball and summoned his second Pokemon. Jake knew Masquerain was not as strong a watery threat as the other Pokemon they were in contention with. Furthermore, Intimidate only worked on physical attackers. So when Belle emerged and blasted the moth with a powerful special fireball that imploded in impact, she one hit KO'd the thing.
Unfortunately, it only looked to be a one hit KO as the Masquerain emerged from the water and sent a Bubble Beam flying Belle's way. Belle managed to barely evade the projectiles thanks to Erwing taking the hit in her stead to defend her. Then it paralyzed the little candle with Stun Spore.
"Don't get discouraged Belle, go for another!" Belle nodded at Jake's empathetic words and flung another Flame Burst. While Masquerain tried to avoid it, Erwing was able to push the Masquerain into the attack with Wing Attack, knocking it out for real.
Belle trembled with electrical charge but smiled at her victory and cheered on Erwing with a "Litwick!"
"Ok now back to the main bug...where'd they go?" Jake scanned the area for the Aquanid as Forrest recovered his composure from being intimidated.
Aubrey would soon resurface, as if on cue. "I couldn't stop the Alomomola from healing the giant spider, man...but at least I tamed it!" Aubrey called. The giant spider would resurface, letting out a roar.
However, this didn't stop Erwing, who would boldly fly in to face it head on, clashing wings with one of its legs, and after a few clashes, the bat started to glow.
"Good timing for an Evolution but we're not done either! Forrest, pursue it and give them hell!" Jake declared as Forrest swooped in for another Pluck against the spidey. The spider would meet Forrest with a Bug Bite as Erwing underwent evolution.
Erwing grew in size to a bigger bat with a large mouth and two triangular fangs in each jaw, with two long and tiny feet on him.
"Golbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!" Erwing screeched.
"Good ol' reliable Golbat!" Jake recalled Belle in the meantime, knowing the paralysis would be more hindrance than help. Forrest cringed from the blow and rubbed his bite mark with his wings as he beckoned the sun forth to heal himself with Synthesis and also serve as a distraction to lure the giant's focus to him instead of Ewring. The Synthesis didn't do much, but Erwing would foul the spider's aim on Aurora Beam with another Confuse Ray.
"Where's Tenor, anyway?!" Aubrey called, hearing her Brionne's voice amidst the heavy downpour. He was faring quite well against the Totem Wishiwashi, winning this battle of endurance with one last Echoed Voice against it to send a majority of the school flying, the force of the attack knocking out the totem. "Atta boy, Tenor!" She pumped a fist in the air.
"Bri bri bri!" Tenor cheered, looking up at Erwing, and the two of them nodded with a plan in mind to finish this off. While the giant spider was confused, Erwing dove down to grab Tenor in his wings, tossing the Water-type up in the air as they got into position. Tenor shot Erwing forward with a powerful Echoed Voice, the Golbat charging in with a lightning-fast Wing Attack, slamming into the other Totem Pokemon, which was able to finish the job!
Jake caught one of the finished Wishiwashi and nuzzled it kindly. "You were a good fighter. Join the rest of your school." He then released them into the water before giving a thumbs up to Aubrey on the successful takedown.
"That was sick, you two!" Aubrey shouted out in victory, Tenor landing with a graceful diving splash, resurfacing in Aubrey's arms while Erwing perched on her head, folding his wet wings against his body. The clouds would part after both Totems were defeated, the sun and a beautiful rainbow taking their place.
"Sha la la la la la la my oh my! We did it!" Jake squeed and hugged Forrest once he came in close to him.
"Now that was impressive! Come on back, you two!" Lana called.
"Whew! Sure has been an incredible day all things considered..." Jake smiled softly at the momentous sight.
The two would return to the shore, Aubrey wringing the water out of her hair.
"I must say, the way you two battled together was incredible," Lana complimented. "Not only did you take down the Wishiwashi I had delicately trained, but also the Araquanid as well!"
"Oh yeah, what was the deal with that thing, anyway?" Aubrey asked. "I didn't expect there'd be two Totem Pokemon."
"Well..." Lana giggled. "Sometimes in your trials you'll be having double trouble. But you've cleared the Water trial with aplomb. The Waterium-Z is yours!"
They would obtain a blue Z-crystal with a teardrop shaped decal on the center. Aubrey gladly took it, chuckling herself. "Alright! Mission...clear!" Cue the poses!
"Mission clear!" Jake was right on the money. "Also this Z-Crystal is a dead-ringer for Misty's Cerulean Badge."
"Shall I see you two back to the Pokemon Center? I'm sure you'll want a nice meal and warm shower after that battle," Lana offered.
"Oh for sure yeah." Jake nodded in agreement. "I've had enough rolling in the deep for one day."
"That'd be awesome," Aubrey smiled.
"Very well then. I suppose you can come back for a spot of fishing later," Lana hummed, leading them back to the Route 5 Pokemon Center.
(And that's the end of that. Whew! That was a long chapter, but we had a lot of ground to cover with all these awesome battles. Next time, we're gonna keep the awesomeness running and hit Royal Avenue! Bye for now!)